Saturday, 13 May 2017

Two seagulls in a bright sky

Two seagulls in a bright sky

inspirational seaweed, Cromarty

First week in of this current northern tour. I’ve covered some 900 miles, worked in 6 different schools, with some 450 young people. We’ve been telling stories, listening to stories, making up stories. We’ve found dead seagulls and a beautiful skull, we buried some children under a playing field*, realised that The Old School still holds the ghosts of the Victorian children That Teacher locked in a cupboard and forgot about

We discovered how the lion got his mane and where the witch lives in the woods. We built ourselves adventures, pooling lines and images

the last sabretooths in Scotland

A Spean Bridge AdventureOur journey took us,Between the road and the river,And over the hill with the peat-scented bogs, We crept down through the woods where the wolves used to run,Down to the river but the arch of the old highbridge was brokenAnd we squeezed between the sodden rock faces, dripping water like blood,And carefully, so carefully, we balanced from stone to stone,Across the fast flowing river where the water trolls wait, Wait for you, for me, for anyone with warm blood in frightened veins.And at last,Behind the big mossy, dark, barky trees, reaching up to the cloudsWe rested in the shade of a massive tree, its branches towering over us.

But when we stepped out into the sunshine of the heather fields where the fairies play,Behind one girl stood a tall shadow that didn’t belong to her.

bear and badger story taking shape

With many thanks to all the brave and imaginative children, teachers, parents and things I’ve met so far (you can decide which you are) fromDunblane High School, and the Primary Schools: Spean Bridge, Raigmore, Daviot, Cromarty, Kinlochbervie, Scourie and Durness* I am a storyteller, believe as much as is safe for yourself